Stockton Reduces Salaries For Mayor, Council Members

The Stockton City Council has voted to reduce the salaries of the mayor and city council by 30 percent. The discussion about the salary cut during Tuesday night's city council meeting was a heated one.

A Salary Setting Commission created by a recent city charter amendment recommended a 30 percent cut to Mayor Anthony Silva's $104,000 salary -- in the middle of his first term.

Council members said they disagreed with the proposal, but under the charter, could only vote to accept the recommendation or lower the mayor's salary even further.

Silva called the pay cut not only unfair, but unwarranted.

"Now if you do reduce my salary then so be it." he says. "I'm going to have to get a paper route at the Stockton Record and hopefully, they hire me because I'm going to need another job."

Council members also passed a motion to reduce their own salaries by 30 percent and to cut all health benefits as well.

As the Central Valley correspondent, Rich Ibarra covers San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and Merced counties, along with the foothill areas including Tuolumne and Calaveras counties. He covers politics, the economy and issues affecting the region. Read Full Bio